Friday, April 30, 2010

As you can see we are a bit cloudy this Friday in my location in Texas. In the picture you are looking west from deep inside the Tandy Hills Natural Area, sometime around noon.

My favorite Cambodian-American, Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, also known as Steve, the Savior of Carter Avenue, did the Tandy Hills hiking with me today.

If you did not know Steve was not a native born Texan you'd never guess it by talking with him. He has a more refined Texas accent than native born Gar the Texan, with none of that nasal twang that Gar the Texan starts drawling when a case of the vapors is fast approaching.

The City of Fort Worth Water Boys were back on the Tandy Hills again today. This time with several trucks and a bulldozer.

Yesterday I saw that the Water Boys had entered the park via the east entry by Tandy Tower, going north at the first intersection. Today I could see they'd gone down the south option.

The access "trail" road that the Water Boys are using to work on fixing the storm drains is now a muddy mess, with a huge pile of crushed rock blocking the way.

We backtracked from the roadblock and went over a hill to get to the other side of the crushed rock block. I was surprised to see that some sort of vehicle had crossed Tandy Falls. I can only shudder to wonder what is in store for Tandy Falls.

Usually Tandy Falls and the pools of water on either side of the falls are very clear. Today the pools of water were very murky.

There are way too many Americans in jail due to various violations of the various laws that prohibit Marijuana. Criminalizing Marijuana, in my opinion, may be the stupidest thing the American Government does.

Producing and selling alcoholic beverages, that the government sanctions.

I live on the border between a wet and a dry zone. For you non-Texans, here in Texas the Prohibition period never totally went away. So, you have some areas where alcohol is totally banned, as in dry, others where it is totally allowed, as in wet, others where alcohol is partially allowed, as in damp. Within those parameters there are variations, like areas where a thing called a Unicard is required to get an alcoholic beverage in a restaurant.

I have no idea how much of the Mexican Drug Cartel's, currently waging war with each other, business is trafficking in Marijuana. I suspect Marijuana is a large part of the Mexican Drug Cartel's cash flow.

In my opinion Marijuana is far less dangerous then alcohol. If it were legalized, with the quality controlled to make a less powerful cannabis, it would seem like selling the stuff in liquor stores would be a good thing. All that money that now goes to Mexican Drug Cartels would stay in America. All those people in jail, taking up space and costing money, could be released and made whole again.

Farmers could openly grow the stuff, like in the days of yore, or currently in the backwoods of Northern California. Marijuana grows like a weed, hence one of its nicknames. Maybe part of the plant, since it is hemp, could be used as a bio-fuel.

We have had many of our national leaders, including presidents, admit to having experimented with Marijuana, though one claims to have experimented without inhaling. How can a president or other elected official at the federal level admit to the crime of being a Marijuana user and not be an ardent advocate of repealing the Marijuana Prohibition?

Several of the states and cities within states have greatly liberalized their Marijuana laws, to no great harm that I've heard about.

It's all very perplexing to me.

With Texas being the most progressive, liberal, forward thinking state in the American union, I really think Texas should lead the way and end the Texas Pot Prohibition and empty Texas jails of those incarcerated for Marijuana related offenses.

Texas needs to do a better job of putting real criminals, like Fort Worth's corrupt conflicts of interest-laden Mayor Mike Moncrief, behind bars, and free those who really have done nothing seriously wrong.

To build the "bridges" dirt had been gouged from the hills. It was not a pleasant thing to see.

But.

Today I was happy to see that the creek bed, that was running water and had been dammed, had been re-done, with a culvert now allowing the water to pass through.

The other creek bed, which is running no water, was also re-done, but no culvert was added.

The damaged areas, like the connection to a Tandy Hills Trail, had been smoothed over.

All in all, I was real pleased to see the fixes.

A City of Fort Worth crew was back working in the same spot I've seen them on 3 days previous. But near as I could tell, today, they had entered the work area via the entry to the park next to the Tandy Tower. I could see truck tracks going down the very steep, very bumpy trail that heads down Mount Tandy to the north.

I confess to being very socially irresponsible. Because I forgot to go Early Vote yesterday for Adrian Murray and John Basham to be members of the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

I will try to remember to vote today.

I am finding the Letters to the Editor, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, regarding the Tarrant Water Board election, to be interesting.

Interesting in a way I don't think some of the letter writers intend. On the one hand there are very real, very honest, very, I don't know, factual, maybe, type letters. Those would be the ones in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham.

And then you have the Letters to the Editor in support of the current Tarrant Water Board Regime. They all sound phony, contrived, cliche-ridden, like this line about Jim Lane..."he has worked to protect our environment, including the water that nourishes and cleans our families."

Or this line about Marty Leonard..."Her dedication to our well-being is far-ranging and monumental, but in no case more so than that of water: clean and sustainable water..."

And then you have the Letter to the Editor from Louis McBee, in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham. Mr. McBee's letter raises a real issue, unlike the other two letters, which to me, come across as the work of propaganda shills.

Three letters, first the "real" one from Louis McBee and then the 2 cliche-ridden, basically pointless, point-free letters from supposed supporters of Leonard and Lane....

Tarrant water board

I am not at all surprised to see the endorsement of the incumbents for the Tarrant Regional Water District in last Thursday's editorial. What is bewildering is that after all the pontificating about "open and responsible government" over the past few months in the Star-Telegram, you would now suggest that it is "acceptable" business as usual for Jim Lane and Marty Leonard to rubber-stamp staff recommendations with their constant "aye" votes because "the real work" is done in meetings outside of public view -- in committee discussions and (one could assume) at the golf course and over cocktails.

I endorse John Basham and Adrian Murray, citizens who care.

-- Louis McBee, Fort Worth

As a community, we have much to be thankful for: educational institutions, museums, stable business climate, parks and a river that runs through them. We also have individuals who have lived here all their lives and deeply care about our future.

Marty Leonard is the epitome of those who never lost their love of Fort Worth and its people. Her dedication to our well-being is far-ranging and monumental, but in no case more so than that of water: clean and sustainable water, coupled with a determination to ensure that we have sound conservation measures to better use what we have.

Re-elect Marty Leonard to the Tarrant Regional Water District board. Water is essential to our quality of life. Marty understands that. She will strive to make sure we don't take it for granted, abuse it or lose it.

-- Gretchen Denny and George Bristol, Fort Worth

On the Tarrant Regional Water District board, Jim Lane has worked to keep our water clean and plentiful. He has earned our vote. Lane is hard-working, practical, helpful to others and smart but not in a pointy headed way. Lane's record of public service, including service in our military and on the Fort Worth City Council, has been committed to protecting our way of life. And in public office, Jim has not been afraid to ask hard questions and change the way things are done when needed. Moreover, in public office, he has worked to protect our environment, including the water that nourishes and cleans our families.

Vote to keep our water clean and plentiful. Vote for a dedicated public servant: Jim Lane for Tarrant Water District Board.

Yesterday I called my mom after Fort Worth's Lone Ranger was not available. This was a rare call to my mom, because I had not gotten gas and was not calling my mom to tell her I got gas and how much it cost.

I don't even think mom asked me about gas yesterday. She did inquire about the current Texas temperature. And if I'd been in any tornadoes lately.

I told mom that Betty Jo Bouvier had gone to the 80th birthday party for the mom of one of my friends going way back to 1st grade, Linda R.

Mom inquired about Linda R., and so I reported that I'd been told that she is doing well, looking fine and healthy.

Mom then mentioned that this coming December will be my dad's 80th birthday. Yikes. I can remember, like it was yesterday, my Grandma Vera's 80th Surprise Birthday Party. That occurred sometime in the early 1990s.

Is there going to be a surprise birthday party, in the Phoenix zone, for my dad, later this year? I have no idea. What if Mega Nag and Mister Sister were there? I would not find this a pleasant experience, most likely. Particularly Mega Nag, since I've vowed to avoid that unpleasantness, as best I can, for as long as I can. Which could easily be forever.

In case you're wondering, that is not my mom in the picture, that is an artist's rendering of Betty Jo Bouvier, speculating as to what Betty Jo may look like at her 80th Birthday Party.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is that not a cool looking Wildflower? It looks like a white haired, purple-faced lady in a dress that matches her face color.

I think she is a Foxglove. A very foxy Foxglove. I saw her sometime after 5 this afternoon, standing on the Tandy Hills.

I was a blogging maniac this morning, blogging on all 5. Or is it 6? Of my blogs.

In the middle of all that blogging, around noon, I went up to Hurst. I called Fort Worth's Lone Ranger while I was in Hurst, with no answer. Then I called my mom and while I was talking to mom, the Lone Ranger called back. We've been phone tagging ever since.

This afternoon I was being a blogging maniac again, some of it prompted by one of my operatives, who is currently undercover on the Gulf Coast. By 4 a headache seemed to be visiting me. I'm thinking I've gotten myself addicted to endorphins again. And if I don't get my fix I get a headache.

Hence the trek to the Tandy Hills on a day I'd decided would be hike-free. Well, it may have ended up not being a hike-free day, but I am now headache-free.

Prior to leaving for some medicinal hiking I heard from Fort Worth's #1 Watchdog with some answers regarding the City of Fort Worth's Tandy Hills creek vandalism, where heavy equipment was used to gouge the hills, in order to get fill, to dam a couple creeks so trucks could cross.

Well, apparently the city water crews are clearing out some trees roots that are causing a blockage. The Water Department has not felt compelled to let the Parks Department know that they'll be plugging up some park creeks, til now.

Sewer drainage lines and a water line were run under the Tandy Hills before they became the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

I guess I feel a little better about all the dam damage done. I hope when the Water Department finishes with their unclogging that some effort is made to undo some of the damage.

I live in the limited area that is allowed to vote for members of the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

Near as I can tell, most of the people, who's water is the responsibility of the Tarrant Regional Water Board, do not get to vote on its members.

Apparently the water district was formed decades ago, well before this area morphed into one humongous Metroplex.

It's as clear as clean water that I'll be voting for Adrian Murray and John Basham. I think the Tarrant Regional Water Board and the citizens it serves would be well served by having a couple of tough question asking adults on board on the Water Board.

In this comment a single mom verbalized a very dumb reason not to vote for "these clowns." When I read this comment it seemed hinky to me. As in, why would someone go to the bother to hunt down a blog posting about "these clowns," detailing what seems to be a very minor, supposed incident that supposedly left the single mom shaking?

When I read the comment what first crossed my mind was that the opposition, as in the current Water Board, has a Dirty Tricks Operation.

Or maybe there really is a single mom out there who is very easily overwrought over very little. I think what I found most disturbing was this single mom saying she has her doorknob in her nightgown. And it was shaking.

Anyway, below is the comment...

"I am a single mom, my son left for school today without locking the door. I was awakened with a shaking of my doorknob in my nightgown, the shaking was very loud. I was scared, but after a moment went to the door and opened it very fast to see a black man getting in a gold SUV, then I saw the rather large door advertisement for Adrian Murray and John Basham on my door knob. First of all I have a NO SOLICITATION sign on my glass door before my solid house door, however there is a handle on that door that could have been used to put the unwanted solicitation on. I am upset and angry that politicians feel they don't have to accept the no solicitation sign and can intrude and scare the crap out of people that live in their homes without care. I will not vote for these clowns period!!!"

You are looking at an artist's rendering of one of the proposed new bridges that will cross the unneeded flood diversion channel that is part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The original plan was to have unique signature bridges that had been designed by someone or thing called Bing Thom.

The Bing Thom design was deemed too expensive, so to save $45 million, the Trinity River Vision signed off on the signature bridges. I don't know how much Boondoggle money was paid to the Bing Thom people.

The guy who designed the new version of the bridges, Miguel Rosales, says his bridge designs mimic the Modern Art Museum and other structures, like the Omni Hotel.

Huh?

Another TRV Boondoggle member said the bridges V-pier designs have found the right balance between iconic look and cost-effectiveness.

In the 2nd artist's rendering of a bridge you are looking at one of the rejected Bing Thom bridges.

When I first saw the 3 Bing Thom bridge designs I thought they looked very interesting. With maybe a chance of finally giving Fort Worth an iconic structure, besides the Fort Worth Stockyards sign, that people in other parts of the world might recognize as being a Fort Worth thing.

The first of the "iconic" new Fort Worth bridges won't start being built until the end of 2011. This Trinity River Vision Project is one real slow motion Boondoggle.

If there was a place taking bets I'd put my money on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle having its plug pulled before the end of 2011.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

For reasons purely accidental, I found myself spending a record breaking amount of time hiking around the Tandy Hills this morning. I think about 10 pounds melted away during the ordeal.

My one longtime reader may remember me mentioning, yesterday, that I came upon some eco-vandalism being done to the Tandy Hills, courtesy of the City of Fort Worth.

Today, as I neared the eco-vandal zone, the noise of diesel engines was way louder than the day previous, which seemed to indicate more than one diesel engine was running. That turned out to be a correct assessment.

Yesterday I was appalled that the city had gouged out dirt from the hills and used it to make 2 dam/bridges across creeks. Only one of the creeks is currently running water. I assumed that the creek running water would quickly be running over, and eroding, the new dam.

I was wrong. If I had consulted my hydraulic engineering manual I might have realized that when the water level reached the layer of crushed rock that it would permeate through the rocks. For the most part, that is what is happening, though, there are now puddles on top of the dam/bridge, creek water is running out the other side, stained gray, like glacial melt.

When I got past the leaking "dam" I came upon one of the noisemakers. It was very large, as in a fire engine size of large truck. On the side of the truck's driver's door it said FORT WORTH WATER TCEQ22015.

TCEQ is a Texas state agency, as in, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

This particular Texas Commission is believed, by many, to be severely co-opted and corrupted.

I assume those little creeks running through the Tandy Hills eventually empty into the Trinity River. I also assume that in most states a state agency that is responsible for protecting water quality would frown upon a city damming up creeks to make makeshift bridges. And killing trees and gouging the land in the process.

I hiked past the Big Water Truck and continued up to the top of Mount Tandy to come at the other City of Fort Worth truck from another direction. By the time I made it up and over and around Mount Tandy and came at the location of the second truck, from the north, it was gone.

But I could see that the focus of their attention had been on one of the Sanitary Sewer Manholes. Because the manhole cover was all wet. The wet manhole cover was just south of the highly unusual horizontal tree you see in the picture at the top.

That horizontal tree blocks the City of Fort Worth Water Trucks from getting to the next Sanitary Sewer Manhole, further north, by Tandy Falls. I wonder if the next thing that appalls me is going to be finding Tandy Falls filled in and dammed. That would make me damn mad. That might be the tipping point that turns me into an Eco-Terrorist.

I would appear it is about to get semi-warm in these parts. And maybe a little wet. I see no lightning bolts in the forecast. Which would seem to indicate no likely tornadoes twisting.

Cautionary tale this morning, here in Fort Worth. As in if you see a new neighbor moving in, don't be too eager to help. Until a new neighbor is in the neighborhood for awhile, it is likely best to err on the side of caution and be wary.

Saturday night, Isabel Diaz's finance, Alfonso Beza and her brother, Pedro Diaz, went to help a new neighbor move in to a rental house in West Fort Worth.

The next morning Isabel could not find her boy friend or brother, so she went over to the new neighbor's, Douglas L. Kirk, to ask about the missing guys. Kirk acted like he had no clue what she was talking about.

Isabel went home, called 911 and waited for the police, who when they arrived found the bodies of Alfonso and Pedro, killed with multiple gunshots.

How does no one in the neighborhood not hear guns blazing, I wondered?

I helped a new neighbor move in near me, here in Fort Worth, one time. I felt no danger. She was a really big lady. She needed help.

The Murdering Neighbor was captured Sunday night at a 6 Motel in my neighborhood. He told a friend that "demons" made him do it.

Monday, April 26, 2010

I don't think I have seen Betty Jo Bouvier, in person, since some point in the Summer of 1991.

Betty Jo lives in the Skagit Valley where she is known as one of the Wild Women of Woolley. I used to live in the Skagit Valley, before I moved to Texas. I don't think Betty Jo had become a Wild Women of Woolley while I was still living in the Skagit Valley. I think I would have heard about it.

Over the weekend Betty Jo went to a birthday party for the mom of one of our dear ol' friends from our school years, Linda R., who I also don't think I've seen since 1991, though I have talked to her on the phone, actually in this century.

Earlier, Betty Jo falsely reported that Linda R.'s mom's birthday was her 90th. That was way off. Betty Jo can be a bit of a ditz, I suppose the ditziness may be a holdover from her Hippie Girl Phase.

Betty Jo was a real cute Hippie. Although, I found the blonde Hippie Hair disorienting, due to the fact that Betty Jo is a brunette, not a blonde, though she does have some blonde tendencies, such as overly aging Linda R.'s mom.

My memory is quite vague about a lot of things, I know Betty Jo and I used to do a lot of fun things. But, except for a few details, most of it is lost to my failing memory. We both had Mustangs. Betty Jo's was a newer model, but mine was cooler, due to it being a 65 Fastback. That's all it had going for it. Betty Jo's ran more reliably.

It is because of Betty Jo I ever came to know another of my favorite Hippie characters, she being Beth Ann. Betty Jo and Beth Ann really should be Southern Girls, they both drip honey with their super sweetness. Super sweetness way back when, super sweetness now. Beth Ann is my favorite TV star. Lately she's been hanging out with George Clooney.

I've often been told I'm a ringer for George Clooney. We both have brown eyes.

Okay, that is enough of a nostalgia trip down my failing memory lane. I look forward to seeing Betty Jo and Beth Ann the next time I am in Washington. And a lot of other people.

First off, my return to the Tandy Hills today, in search of my lost sunglasses, was not successful.

But, I found something else. Something that was a bit disturbing. Well, more than disturbing, let's go with troubling and aggravating.

I parked by the Fort Worth Needle, aka Tandy Tower, on top of Mount Tandy.

I walked down the hill, taking a left at the first intersecting trail junction. Continuing on down the hill I stopped to take another picture of my favorite Wildflower, that being the yellow beauty you see in the picture.

While I was taking pictures I heard the rumbling noise of a motor. Usually the only motor noise heard in this location is the distant rumbling of the vehicles on I-30.

I got to the bottom of the hill, and instantly my attention switched from trying to figure out where the motor noise was coming from, to seeing that the Tandy Hills earth had been moved. The trail passes over a creek bed. That creek bed had been filled in with dirt bulldozed from the side of the trail, leaving huge gashing messes.

The creek bed had been filled in with no culvert to allow the flow of water. The new "bridge" was topped with crushed rock.

Before I continued on, I turned my attention to the motor noise. Backtracking a bit I could see a big white pickup truck. Deja Vu flashbacks of my earlier encounters with White Darth Vader Trucks made me wary. I went back up the hill, then went off trail and got to where I had a view of the side of the truck.

It was a City of Fort Worth truck. Not Chesapeake Energy or Express Energy Services.

I took a picture of the City of Fort Worth truck when I got back on the trail, with it now coming towards me.

The truck stopped. I kept walking south. I came to the second creek crossing. This one had also been "bridged".

With a much bigger mess made. And this creek was running water. By the time I again walked over the new "dam," about an hour later, the creek was within about 6 inches of breaching the dam.

Where that white pickup is in the picture, that is on the other side of a cable that was stretched across the trail. The cable had a sign attached which said "Foot Traffic Only."

To get around this cable one of the supporting posts had been knocked over, so that the cable. And sign. Could be driven over.

My pictures of the damage and the dams do not do justice to what I saw today. At the location of the second "dam" a huge chunk of Tandy Trail had been chopped off, to use for fill for the "dam". Previously that particular trail came off the hills to connect to the flat trail with the newly added dam bridges.

The brightly lit area at the top of the picture is the Tandy Trail coming off the hills to join the trail with the new dam/bridges. This has now been bulldozed to provide dirt for the dam, rendering the trail no longer a usable trail.

To get good pictures of this Tandy Tarnishing I need to be on the hills later or earlier in the day. The sun, at noon, does not make for good pictures in my unskilled hands. The above is the bigger of the 2 new dam/bridges. Covered with crushed rock. The one you are looking at is the one that is creating a reservoir that is likely now running over the top of the new dam.

So? What is going on here? If the City of Fort Worth needed to get a truck into this location, and needed to get over the creeks, how is this a sane, responsible, proper way to do so?

It is less than 48 hours since Prairie Fest celebrated the prairie. I was so appalled by what I saw today that when I got back here I called Fort Worth's and the Tandy Hill's #1 Watchdog to tell him what I'd seen. I figured if some Bad Boys are doing some Bad Deeds, the sooner the Watchdog watches, the better.

If I could muster the energy I'd go back around 5 to check out the creek flowing over the new dam/bridge.

Brought to you by those same fine folks bringing you a Trinity River Vision.

You are looking at the Sunday afternoon view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony. As you can see the view has gotten way greener than the same view a couple months ago.

We had ourselves the most wintry Winter this Winter, outdoing all my previous Texas Winters, with its icy, snowy, cold Wintriness.

Currently this Spring is being the mildest Spring of all my previous Texas Springs. I can not remember the last time I've heard the tornado sirens. I've only felt compelled to turn on my air-conditioning a couple times, so far, with my windows being able to be open way more often than I recollect in prior times.

I do not know if this trend bodes ill or well for the coming Summer. Last Summer we did not have very many 100 degree plus days. My Hottest Summer in Texas, I don't remember which year, but I do remember there were dozens of days over 100 degrees.

I'm guessing we are heading towards a record breaking Super Hot Summer. I'm usually wrong about such things. It'll likely turn out to be a record breaking Super Cold Summer, now that that Global Warming brouhaha has turned out be a myth.

I do know for almost absolute certainty that it will not get cold enough, this Summer, to cause a repeat of the snowy, February 12, view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony.

I am returning to the Tandy Hills today on a Sunglasses Search Mission. Wish me luck.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Well, I had myself some heavy duty aerobicizing this super fine Sunday in Texas.

Due to the temporary loss of my pool I've amped up the hiking. Today I decided to go for a record of going up 10 hills.

As is often the case with my best planned plans, the 10 hill hike plan went awry.

About a half hour into hiking I had a feeling something was not right, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

A half hour or so later I was heading towards my final hill, number 10, when I realized what was wrong.

I was missing my sunglasses.

I'd taken the sunglasses off to take the picture above of the Butterfly Wildflower. This location was the only location where I took pictures today, of the Butterfly Wildflower and a Yellow Orange Wildflower.

The Butterfly Wildflower location was 2 hills back, from the point when I realized I was not wearing sunglasses. By the time I got to the spot where I'd taken off the sunglasses, I'd now climbed 11 hills.

I did not find my sunglasses. Miss Puerto Rico called while I was looking for them. Apparently I am going over to Miss PR's later today.

By the time I got back to my vehicle I'd climbed a total of 13 hills, spending over an hour and a half hiking and sunglass hunting.

I am feeling just a little over exercised at this point in time. And I don't like my backup sunglasses. Maybe I'll find the missing pair tomorrow.

Until yesterday I had never noticed or read the Introduction chapter in my Guide to Texas. It amused me.

Excerpted below...

"It's difficult growing up in Texas. Having to ride your horse to school each day, the noisy oil derrick squeaking behind your house. And then all that dust and those tumbleweeds. It's enough to make you kind of twangy.

The myths surrounding Texas have infiltrated even the most remote of outbacks and the most educated of minds. It's dusty and wild, filled with women and men not satisfied with one name. There's Sue Ellen, Betty Jo and Jim Bob. Hell, Texas must be the only state that lets parents use middle names.

All kidding aside, Texas really is like no other place. Its residents are proud and strong and united with the land they cover. Non-Texans might find the lack of humility disconcerting - Texans will tell them that they just don't understand. Being Texan, to many, is like being from a very large family. A really big family.

Legends are here. All around. There are big, bold voices, raised to speak their minds. There are big, strong men and women who take the world by the horns. There are big, beautiful vistas that inspire poets and artists. And with a land as broad and deep and varied as Texas, how could there not be legendary material?

Texas fancy themselves a bit unusual. Perhaps that's why Texas roads are something of a puzzle to outsiders. The acronyms you'll find preceding highway numbers look different from those in the rest of the world. Most have origins in rural Texas and actually used to mean something.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

I made it to the Prairie Fest sometime after 3 in the afternoon. I knew there were going to be a lot of people on the Prairie as soon as I saw the number of cars parked.

Way more people than last year. It seems to me that each year the Prairie Fest seems to grow 50% bigger. Give or take a percentage or two.

I was intending to participate in World QiGong Day with Master Martha, with me thinking the QiGong Demo Group Participation thing took place at 5. As I often am, I was wrong, it took place at 3.

I learned this when I found myself suddenly accosted by QiGong Master Martha. I'd been wandering around Prairie Fest looking for Elsie Hotpepper, when I ran into Martha.

After talking to Martha, for awhile, I called Elsie, she answered, I told her I was by the band, talking to QiGong Master Martha. And that we were too late for the Group QiGong.

As I talked to Elsie Hotpepper she said she was also by the band. I spied someone who looked like Elsie. I asked Elsie if she was wearing pink. Both Martha and I saw Elsie look down to see what color she was wearing. Who goes out in public without knowing what color they are?

Elsie and I talked to Martha for awhile about our counter-revolutionary activities and then Martha's young daughter and her old boyfriend showed up. So, it was time for Martha to go.

Elsie and I then wandered around Prairie Fest. Due to wandering, and talking to Elsie, I forgot to take very many pictures.

At one point we ran into Don Young, who did not, apparently, know that Elsie and I know each other.

Elsie had never actually seen the Tandy Hills, so we followed a big group of hill walkers out to the hills so Elsie could see the best place to stand in Fort Worth for the first time.

I met Louis McBee today. He was in a booth with a lot of initials. I think, NCTCA. Some subversive group of Texans, near as I can tell. I liked Louis McBee. He was funny. He told me he'd been told that I had killed my blog. This was news to me.

There was some politicking going on on the Tandy Hills today, but it had to be done in a subtle way. Blatant Politicking was Strictly Forbidden.

This made it a bit challenging for Elsie and me to do our bit to convince voters that they need to vote for Adrian Murray and John Basham for positions on the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

I did see one politician today, who seemed to be politicking. Costumed, near as I could tell, to look like a Yellowjacket Bumble Bee.

You are looking at the Prairie Fest, in the distance, today, at noon, from the top of Mount Tandy.

A lot of rain fell last night. And a thunderclap or two banged loud.

I knew the Tandy Hills trails would be muddy. But I needed to aerobicize myself. Doctor's orders. Combating my high blood pressure, elevated, due to a recent Toxic Person Sneak Attack causing me undue, uncalled for stress.

I figured that the two hills accessed from the top of Tandy Mountain would be dried out enough to hike without gaining height due to shoe mud buildup. I was half right.

I am feeling a lot better now that I've oxygenated my blood flow.

Elsie Hotpepper called this morning, asking how to find the Prairie Fest. And wanting to know what time I'd be making an appearance. Elsie told me she'd call again when she knew what time she and her entourage would be arriving on the Tandy Hills. That call has yet to arrive, but Elsie did make an interim call while I was on my way to go hiking, to tell me that the arrival time was still undetermined.

I saw an unusual new Wildflower today. Until I learn different I am calling it a Texas Cauliflower Wildflower.

I thought of Betty Jo Bouvier today on the Tandy Hills. Yesterday Betty Jo verbalized an aversion to my details about my encounters with Texas critters, like snakes and cockroaches.

What made me think of Betty Jo today was a big black beetle scurrying over the trail.

I wonder if this is an Ironclad Beetle? I was bombarded by Ironclad Beetles, years ago, while sitting outside, at sunset, at a Burger King in Roswell, New Mexico.

Friday, April 23, 2010

The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph, please make note, that is Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram, blogged a quite excellent commentary today, inspired by watching the KERA Earth Day special about the Trinity River and the bizarre plan, hatched back in the 1960s, that would have turned the Trinity River into a Billion Dollar Ditch.

The Star-Telegraph compares that decades old Trinity River politician driven Boondoggle with the modern era Trinity River politician driven Boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision.

The decades old Trinity River Boondoggle was put to a stop via a method that shocked the local political hierarchy. The public was allowed to vote and they voted NO!

The public has not been allowed to vote on the current Fort Worth Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Til now, sort of.

The Star-Telegraph strongly endorses the election of Adrian Murray and John Basham to the Tarrant Regional Water Board. They are the closest the locals have to getting to vote on the latest Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The other reason the Trinity River is on my mind is due to Betty Jo Bouvier begging me to STOP, in big bold red letters, telling her about the critters that lurk in Texas, on land and in the water. Betty Jo lives very near a river that is quite a bit larger than the Trinity River.

Betty Jo's river is called the Skagit River. A lot of fish called Salmon swim in the Skagit River. Huge fish called Sturgeon have been known to swim in the Skagit. But the Skagit River has no critters like the Garfish, that you can catch in the Trinity River.

Sorry, Betty Jo, I know you told me to STOP, but the picture at the top of a Garfish, fresh out of the Trinity, was too good not to share.

In the picture, way in the distance, you can see a downtown Fort Worth skyscraper, or two, sticking up above the foliage, from the top of Mount Tandy.

This was the noon Friday view. The day before the 2010 Prairie Fest is set to populate the Tandy Hills with a lot of people.

Last night's predicted rain did fall. But not in amounts sufficient to muddy up the trails of the Tandy Hills.

Today had been forecast to be stormy. That is still the forecast, chance of rain and severe storms. However, it is not windy, no storm front seems to be blowing in, the sky is blue, the temperature, coming up on 4 in the afternoon, is 81.5.

It seems as if the Weather Gods have decided to grant Fort Worth and the Prairie Fest a reprieve from nasty weather.

That is Splash the Catfish looking at you. Splash was caught in Lake Texoma back in 2004, caught, captured and hauled to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas, where Splash took up residence on January 14, 2004.

At the time of her captivity, Splash was the World Record holder as the largest Blue Catfish ever caught, at 121.5 pounds. Splash held that record until 2005 when a 124 pounder was caught in the Mississippi River.

Splash quickly became the Star of the Fisheries Center, with large numbers showing up to watch the daily dive show, when Splash was fed chicken, herring and mackerel.

On the 1st anniversary of the arrival of Splash, around 800 people showed up to celebrate, including 133 school kids who brought Splash birthday cards.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Scientists estimate that Splash was at least 23 years old when she suddenly died in December 2005.

A life-sized replica of Splash is currently on display at the Fisheries Center. It is estimated that Splash is survived by thousands of descendants in Lake Texoma.

Splash the Blue Catfish was brought to my mind this morning by the Wild Woman of Woolley, Betty Jo Bouvier.

Betty Jo sent me an article about a Giant Catfish that had been caught in China's Huadu Furong Reservoir. This Giant Catfish was 9.8 feet long, 3.3 feet wide. After cutting the fish open the remains of a man were found inside.

Apparently there had been a problem with swimmers disappearing while swimming in the reservoir, including, recently, the son of a government official. Now that the Chinese realize they have Man-eating Catfish lurking in their reservoir, swimming is banned.

I got back in a Texas lake after my near fatal encounter with an out of control Turtle, but seeing a Garfish for the first time, that was far more unsettling than a Turtle. I have not been swimming in a Texas lake since I saw my first Garfish. I don't know if the Lake Texoma Catfish descendants of Splash are big enough to eat a man. I suspect not.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is located at 5550 FM 2495, four miles east of Athens. Fish in the dive tank may be viewed any time the center is open. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Dive shows are at 11 a.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

In the past few weeks I have received multiple queries regarding the Queen of Wink, due to the Queen's sudden absence, in various subject's email inboxes, and the lack of updating of the Queen of Wink's blog.

Well, I am happy to let you know that, though there have been some nefarious shenanigans going on in the Queen's Wink Realm, the Queen's Reign is secure.

And she has been very busy.

The Queen worked hard to put on a Big Benefit that took place on April 10. The goal of this benefit was to raise funds for a Winkonian, named Erika Berry, who had been hit with a lot of medical bills due to serious medical woes.

The Queen of Wink's Realm only has about 1,000 subjects. Yet those subjects were able to raise $7,270. That is impressive.

Fort Worth has a population of over 700,000. I am terrible at math, but, if my calculating is correct, for Fort Worth to match the Wink level of generosity, in a Benefit Event, $5,089,000 would be raised.

What if Fort Worth had such a benefit to raise a Support Fund so that legal representation could be hired to help the legion of victims in the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World, Tarrant County, Texas?

Currently if one of the gas drillers, poking holes all over Tarrant County, wants your land, or to run a non-odorized, high pressure, natural gas pipeline under your house, in cahoots with the local government, the gas drillers will Abuse Eminent Domain to put you in harm's way.

With your only recourse, if you have the means, being to hire a lawyer, at your extreme expense, to try and defend yourself against the legalized act of robbery, thuggery and vandalism.

I'm thinking if a Help Stop Eminent Domain Abuse Benefit raised $5 million that a very competent law firm could be hired that could wreak havoc with the current government sanctioned abuse that takes place in these law-challenged parts.

Perhaps the Queen of Wink could be convinced to lend her expertise to such an effort.

Then again, it seems that the Queen of Wink has her hands full currently keeping order in her own Realm.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

In the picture you are standing on the best place to stand in Fort Worth, the Tandy Hills, looking at the noontime view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

As you can see, it is a bit cloudy. Potentially Heavy Rain with Thunderstorms is slated to appear later this afternoon through tomorrow.

I felt a few pre-storm drips dropping on me and the hills today.

I hope this possible incoming storm does not wreak havoc with the Prairie Fest.

I overcompensated for the loss of my swimming pool by amping up the Tandy Hills hiking today, going up a record 7 hills at record breaking speed. I fear, without overcompensating, the loss of the swimming will quickly cause me to balloon up to an unprecedented new weight, possibly going into Roly Poly Boy status for the first time, needing to use one of those fun looking motorized carts to do my Wal-Mart shopping.

It was not quite a Rose/Lilac level of odiferousness, but today one of the Wildflower suspects was perfuming up the air in a subtle, pleasant way.

It was not the Lilac colored Wildflower, you see in the picture, that was smelling good.

Well, this morning I blogged about the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's toadying endorsement of Tarrant Regional Water Board members for re-election.

And now this afternoon I receive notice that the Star-Telegram's recognizes and apologizes for its error.

Below is the correction notice...

Here is the corrected version of the Star Telegram’s endorsement this morning. The one that was printed was intended to be sent to The Onion instead. This is the real editorial and the Star telegram apologizes for its error.

Although one of the most important public bodies in the area, the Tarrant Regional Water District is probably the most secretive and corrupt of the county's taxing authorities.

It has been providing water and flood control to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country for more than 80 years. It is difficult to argue with the quality of its work to ensure that the district, which provides raw water for 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and much of Tarrant County – most of whom are not permitted to vote for the district’s directors - has plenty of sources for its product well into the future.

Only voters in the six cities within the district (Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks) elect its five-member board.

Two men seeking election to the board have outstanding points to argue. Adrian Murray, a businessman and president of the 912 Project Fort Worth conservative grassroots political organization, and John Basham, a consulting meteorologist, are running as a team for the two places on the May 8 ballot.

Murray and Basham, who hope to unseat incumbents Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, say current board members took their eyes off the core mission and instead invested too much time and public money in the Trinity River Vision, a nearly $1 billion boondoggle for flood control and large-scale development along the river north and east of downtown which will allow private developers to scarf up over $200 million in gas royalties earned by the district as well as feast on hundreds of millions in taxpayers dollars.

They also see the 100% "aye" votes at regular board meetings and say the board is simply a "rubber stamp" for the district's staff, offering absolutely no dissent. And they object to a lawsuit filed to force the sale of water from Oklahoma, insisting that "neighbors" should be able to resolve disputes without taking legal action.

The incumbents counter that the district, which operates four major reservoirs in the area, has a superb record of looking out for the region's current and future water supply needs. Lane and Leonard are proud of their efforts to obtain water from Oklahoma, something at which they have miserably failed.

One can't judge the work of board members only by their votes at board meetings, they say, because much of their research, plotting and no-bid dealings occur during illegally convened and closed to the public committee meetings.

Leonard and Lane point to a long list of accomplishments over the last four years, including funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to local developers and law firms, awarding millions in lobbying fees to friends in Austin and Washington and apparently inviting members of the editorial board at the Star Telegram to all the right cocktail parties.

Challengers Murray and Basham no doubt are honest and competent individuals who would not fit in with the current make-up of the water board. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered but have no place amid the squalor and corruption of the board . They should remain out of the public arena until they learn how the game is played, baby.

But Leonard and Lane, with their long and rich history of doing what they are told, have demonstrated the skills, commitment and lack of integrity needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.

The top two vote-getters on May 8 will be elected.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Jim Lane and Marty Leonard for the Tarrant Regional Water District board.

I missed part of Don Young's message that I just blogged about. The message had an Earth Day Green Flag image that I had not scrolled past.

When I did scroll past the Green Earth Day Flag I was surprised to read...

"The only photo I could find of Mayor McCann will surprise you. Here he is in 1960 signing a proclamation for, "National Beatnik Week". (LIFE magazine)"

The photo is brought to you courtesy of Pat Kirkwood.

Obviously, the surprising thing is the idea that Fort Worth had a Mayor, Thomas A. McCann, who signed a proclamation for "National Beatnik Week." I can't imagine current Fort Worth Mayor, Mike Moncrief, signing such a thing. In 1960 had the Good Ol' Boy Network not yet taken over Fort Worth, turning it into an Oligarchy?

The Beatniks were sort of the precursors of the Hippies who came along a few years after 1960. I've been told by people who lived in the Fort Worth zone during the 60s that the turbulence of that era, pretty much passed this area by, including the Hippie Phenomenon.

Maynard G. Krebs, with Maynard being a Beatnik, a few years before he became Gilligan, stranded on an island, was a popular pop figure of the late 1950s, early 1960s. Maybe Mayor McCann was a big Maynard G. Krebs fan, hence the National Beatnik Proclamation.

I wish I could have celebrated Earth Day with an early morning swim. But, my pool lost all its water.

The first Earth Day was on April 22 of 1970. It was a BIG DEAL. Protesting was very popular back in those days. If I remember right, on the original Earth Day, some very bad Viet Nam War news hit the public, as in Nixon had expanded the war into Cambodia.

I wonder if Steve Doeung remembers when the Viet Nam War came to Cambodia?

The Cambodia expansion caused all sorts of protesting. If I'm still remembering right, these were the protest episodes that saw the murder of 4 Kent State students by National Guard troops.

We live in such calmer times these days, though the naysayers don't seem to realize it.

Don Young's incoming had a very interesting bit of history in it.

On April 22, 1960, 10 years before the first Earth Day, the Fort Worth City Council, led by Mayor Thomas A. McCann, agreed to purchase the land now known as the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

From the city record..."a resolution enacted by the City Council of the City of Fort Worth, Texas, at a meeting regularly held on the 22nd day of April, 1960, does promise to pay, $138,250..." for the Tandy Hills land.

I don't know what $138,250 is worth in 2010 dollars, but it sounds like Fort Worth got a super bargain back in 1960.

Who knew Fort Worth was so Progressive, so Green, so long ago? The foresight of Fort Worth's 1960 City Council and Mayor preserved a prairie wonderland for generations to come.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Editorial Board did some Tarrant Regional Water District Board Member Election Recommendationing yesterday.

Adrian Murray and John Basham are running, together, for positions on the Water Board.

Regarding Murray and Basham, the Star-Telegram says they are, "competent individuals who are eager to give back to their community. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered. They should remain engaged with the water district regardless of the outcome of this election."

And then the Star-Telegram goes on to endorse incumbents, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, because of their long and rich history of public service, who have demonstrated skills, commitment and vision needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.

Well.

The Tarrant Regional Water District is responsible for providing water and flood control affecting around 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington and a large swath of Tarrant County.

The Water District was set up decades ago, well before this area morphed into a giant Metroplex. Consequently, only voters is 6 towns get to vote to elect the board. Those towns are Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks.

Please note that Mansfield and Arlington are not on the list of those who get to vote. Does it not seem like, well, common sense, that all areas affected by the Water Board be included in who gets to vote? Should not this antique setup be updated to this century?

Haltom City also does not get to vote. Haltom City has a deadly flooding problem. That flooding problem, caused by allowing development, without requiring flood control mitigators, does not seem to concern the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in any meaningful way.

The current Tarrant Regional Water District Board is onboard with the Trinity River Vision, that being Fort Worth's Billion Dollar Boondoggle that added an unneeded flood diversion channnel in order to, hopefully, snag some federal dollars.

All the yammering about the supposed good the current Water Board has done, things like a park on Eagle Mountain Lake, recreational trails, an Eagle Mountain pipeline, pales when compared to the good the Water Board has not done.

As in, making fixing the Deadly Flash Flood Problem priority #1.

The area where the Trinity River Vision's flood diversion channel would be doing its diverting has not flooded for over 50 years, thanks to flood prevention levees built by the same Army Corps of Engineers.

It is all perplexing to me.

The Durango Texas Editorial Board strongly recommends Adrian Murray and John Basham for the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Like I said couple days ago, the Tandy Hills Prairie finally got the memo telling the sleepy Wildflowers that it was time to wake up and add color to the place.

As you can see, the Tandy Hills Wildflowers are doing a good job of it. I don't recollect the Prairie being quite this lush and green before. A big benefit of a wet Fall and Winter. I guess.

And just in time for Saturday's 2010 Prairie Fest.

The current weather forecast is casting a little potential cloud over Saturday's Big Event.

A really big, really strong weather system is advancing from the West. It is due to potentially hit the Tandy Hills on Friday, with the storming ending by Saturday morning.

From my limited experience with the reliability of weather forecasting in these parts, I'll believe the storm when I see it. There are too many variables that come in to play, here, that can drastically alter a forecast.

I saw a new Wildflower today that was not coloring up the Tandy Hills. Due to being white. Is white a color? I guess it is. Well, actually it was predominantly white, with a pink center. This Wildflower looked sort of like a miniature tulip.

So, while awaiting proper identification, I am calling this Wildflower a Tandy Tulip.

The Toxic People Epidemic seems to continue to spread. Earlier I got a report of very bad cases way out in West Texas, in the Wink Zone. I mentioned this to my therapist, Dr. L.C., who then told me that Elsie Hotpepper, unbeknownst to me, is having a Toxic People Contamination Problem.

Yesterday I learned that the Wild Woman of Woolley, Betty Jo Bouvier, is fighting her particular Type of Toxic by going on a Detox Program.

I am always easily swayed, so yesterday I decided to jump on Betty Jo's Detox Bandwagon. My Detox Treatment is Detox Tea. It promises to be Cleansing and Revitalizing, with over 20 Potent Chinese Purification Herbs for Traditional Support of the Defenses, plus Healthy Skin.

I already have healthy skin. But I definitely could use some Support of the Defenses against Toxicity. I've lately learned that a couple thousand mile buffer, and no contact, is not good enough Toxic People protection, in the age of easy Toxic Intrusion, via the Internet.

I read all over the documentation on my Detox Tea Box and I can find no information regarding whether or not the 20 Potent Chinese Purification Herbs help Detoxify the toxic effects of Toxic People.

In addition to my Detoxing Battle, as of this morning, for awhile, I will not be in the swim of things. I went swimming early this morning. By around 10, the Pool Doctor showed up to begin the pool draining process, so that the pool can be re-lined. I do not know how long this will take.

I will need to find some sort of calorie burning substitution, for the duration, lest I blow up like a Toxic Fat Person.

In the meantime, it is late afternoon and I am heading to the Tandy Hills to go Wildflower Hunting.

Last week, when I picked up the latest FW Weekly, I also picked up a little neighborhood newspaper that covers where I live, called Greater Meadowbrook News.

In the Greater Meadowbrook News there is a full page "column" titled Running with Wanda, by Wanda Conlin.

Via Wanda I learned that the Handley Neighborhood Association, at their March meeting, heard from a Land Agent named Diane Reid.

For you who are not in a gas/oil drilling zone, a Land Agent is the person who finagles the rights to poke hole in the ground for the drillers.

The Land Agent updated the Handley group about Chesapeake Energy drilling operations in the neighborhood. Apparently Chesapeake owns land near where Lee Harvey Oswald is buried on Shannon Rose Hill. And on Ederville Road near the Handley Post Office.

The Chesapeake activity near the Handley Post Office raises some concerns due to the troublesome increase in truck traffic on a street already prone to wrecks. I have seen 2 wrecks by the Handley Post Office. I don't quite get why this is such a wreck prone location.

And then the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association also had a March meeting. At that meeting Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Planner, David Creek, "educated" attendees about the beginning of procedures to extract minerals from Stratford and Oakland Lake Parks.

Huh?

Is "procedures to extract minerals" double-speak for drilling for Barnett Shale Natural Gas? Is a drilling rig going to be set up in Oakland Lake Park?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

May 12 you've got to join me and Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize Winner, Josh Fox, for a showing of GASLAND the movie at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth.

This is going to be a BIG party, starting at 5:30 pm. Open to all. With a cash bar and snacks. The movie starts screening at 6:30 pm in the Modern's Movie Auditorium.

Movie tickets are $15. After the movie you can hang out with Josh Fox and ask him anything you want to ask.

At 8:30 pm the VIP After Party starts up. Members of Texas OGAP (Oil & Gas Accountability Project) and Josh Fox will be in attendance. You also can attend the VIP After Party. The entry fee is $100. That $100 covers your movie ticket.

In the picture you are looking at a herd of Turtles resting precariously on the banks of the Veterans Pond at Veterans Park in Arlington, today, under a cloudy noon sky.

The Turtles in Veterans Pond appeared to be organized into two competing gangs. With one Gang being the bank dwellers you see here and the other Turtle Gang controlling the opposite side of the pond, while occupying a big log.

A couple Turtles were doing underwater surveillance, occasionally periscoping their heads out of the water, to make sure, I assume, that no enemy Turtles were encroaching on their Turtle Territory.

I don't think these are a different brand than the Toxic Turtle that tried to kill me in July of 2002 in Lake Grapevine. The malevolent reptile was big. And fast.

Speaking of Toxic. I learned this morning that Betty Jo Bouvier, aka The Wild Woman of Woolley, is trying to tone down some of her Wildness by going through some sort of 12-step Detoxification Program. Betty Jo may be the least toxic person I've ever known, so it will be interesting to see what she's like after this Detoxification process works its magic on her.

In the meantime, in a Show of Solidarity with Betty Jo, I am drinking some De-Tox Tea. I don't know how well it is working. I'm still feeling plenty toxic.

I almost forgot to mention. I saw a new Wildflower today blooming at Veterans Park. By new, I mean, new to my eyes, this Texas Wildflower season.